Dinosaur (2000)

I think the only thing keeping Walt Disney from rolling in his grave due to this film is the fact that at least it is a sign that his company was still trying out new things, learning new ways of animation. Because as a movie it doesn't hold up at all.The first mostly CGI-animated film - the backgrounds are mainly live-action - to be produced by Disney, it tells about a young iguanodon dinosaur named Aladar, who gets taken by predators, but eventually ends up on an island inhabited by a conspiracy of lemurs, which end up adopting and raising him. But then a meteor forces them out of their island and looking for a safe haven known simply as the Nesting Grounds. Along the way they meet other dinosaurs, get chased by predators, learn things about compassion and perseverance, et cetera, et cetera. If the plot sounds a lot like The Land Before Time mixed with some Tarzan, it's because it's exactly that. It's not trying to be subtle about it.Furthermore, it's a dull movie. None of the characters are all that defined beyond a characteristic or perhaps two, which means that you don't really care what happens to them. Though yes, there's Zini, the self-titled Love Doctor Monkey, but he's more annoying than anything else. The romance is supbar, Aladar's rivalry with Kron goes nowhere, the story barely has an arch and the ending climax doesn't feel like one, because the movie has barely set any stakes. Plus, it looks dull. Though the first act on the lemur island is actually not so bad. At least then we had colours. But as soon as they leave the island, it's nothing but shades of brown and grey for the rest of the film. I shall repeat that. Nothing but brown and grey. Nothing.To the film's credit, the actual animation has aged pretty well. Having the backgrounds be live-action helps a lot and the dinosaurs look mostly okay even still. The opening shot of Aladar's egg being carried around is very impressive and the lemur island part of the story is not so bad.I don't like that this is part of Disney animation canon. It was added retroactively in order to give Tangled the status as the 50th Disney animated classic, but it's an ill fit. Its story has no ambition, its characters are lackluster and all in all it's a very forgettable experience. It's everything a Disney classic should not be.

Disney's 39th full-length animated feature film and almost follows the same plot device as The Land Before Time, where the dinosaurs journey through the desert in search of the green and luscious nesting ground following a meteor attack.I believe this is the first Disney full-length animated feature to have CGI effects. Though I am partial to the much vibrant and much more colorful hand-drawn animation, the visual effects here are very realistic and detailing compiled, making it look like it is a live-action film versus an animated one. The story starts off quite intense with an attack of a carnivorous dinosaur on a herd of peaceful plant-eaters. But, the plot then becomes quite slow with the uninteresting subplot about the lemurs raising an orphaned Iguanodon named Alidar, and them playing matchmakers to the younger lemurs. Once the animals start to talk the plot is bogged down by the modern-sounding dialog, which is very distracting since the story takes place in the prehistoric period.The journeying-to-the-nesting-grounds-while-avoiding-carnivores plot is the main plot of the film and is at times thrilling and exhilarating, producing some intense scenes and heartfelt moments, particular where Alidar stays behind the traveling herd to help older dinosaurs Baylene and Eema and where the stern-hearted Bruton fights the Carnotaurus to protect Alidar and company. However, the film has a rather routine story due to predictable moments and very few emphasis on other dinosaurs.Overall, it's an average Disney film with some exciting moments. It can be appealing to children, though.Grade C+

Watching the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park I remember wondering how magnificent these creatures might look in a film set in their own habitat showing us how they might have lived. Hearing that Disney was working on such a film my heart leapt. What a magnificent idea, I thought, a film that will show the majesty of these creatures using CGI to bring them to life.Then I saw the trailer and learned that the dinosaurs spoke, my heart sank. Why would you want to great pains to create real backgrounds, using all the state-of-the-art computer animation at your disposal to create these incredible looking dinosaurs only to dimish them with not only human personalities but modern-day sensibilities and catchphrases. Possibly because it's easier to sell toys at a fast food restaurant when the characters are cuddly and have names (but that's just a guess).I began looking for the moments in between when the dinosaurs didn't talk and there aren't many. The story is fine (it actually has more story then any of the recent Disney animated flicks) with the dinos moving across the desert following a devastating meteor storm.I imagined how this film might look on an IMAX screen at 45 minutes with no dialogue and more realism. Wow, how magnificent would that have been?

I have seen this movie many times over the years with my older children and they all have loved it. I have just introduced it to my 2 yr old. He loves it too!! After only a few days he knows almost all the words. Its an entertaining movie, that has a great story line of friendship, love, and acceptance for children. It shows how being a friend to all no matter what species, and age wins in the end. It shows how being mean and tough doesn't get friends. And to those that are complaining about the accuracy for the time period, I am pretty sure that the dinosaurs didn't talk either. I do like this movie better then the Land Of Times movies for kids. if you are looking for accuracy try a documentary